JERUSALEM – As Israel continues to build walls and fences along virtually each of its borders, analysts say the country’s isolationist policies and unwillingness to deal with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbors through anything other than forceful means spells disaster.

"On the one hand we’re walling the Palestinians in but on the other hand if you kind of zoom out and look at the Middle East, you’ll see that Israel is the one that’s walled in. It’s this island that is losing touch with its neighbors," says Israeli academic and author Neve Gordon.

Israel’s eight-meter high "Separation Barrier" with the West Bank – referred to by most Palestinians as the Apartheid Wall – is now in its tenth year of construction. As of April 2012, 434 kilometers, or almost 62 percent of the total length of the wall, had been completed.

In June, Israel announced that construction would resume on a section of the wall in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc near the West Bank city Bethlehem. Building of the section around Ma’ale Adumim near Jerusalem, one of Israel’s largest settlements, is expected to start next year.

"Whatever is on the other side of the wall is a monster, is an unknown, is something you fear. So it does definitely increase the level of animosity, hate and so forth because it is an unknown and it’s a frightening unknown," Gordon tells IPS.

The Israeli government promotes the wall as a way to protect Israeli civilians from Palestinian violence. Palestinians say that the wall, which cuts deep into the occupied West Bank, is a means for Israel to seize more Palestinian land.

When finished, the wall is expected to annex 530 square kilometers of Palestinian land, equivalent to the area of Chicago, the United States’ third largest city, according to the Palestinian human rights group Al Haq.

But Israel’s push to erect walls and fences around itself doesn’t end at the Separation Wall; construction of a 230-kilometre fence along Israel’s southern border with Egypt is moving forward at a frantic pace, in an attempt to keep African asylum seekers out.

Ironically, asylum seekers in Israel who now number approximately 60,000 are themselves involved in the building of the fence and its infrastructure. Most of them have reached Israel through the Egyptian Sinai desert.

"I feel like I’m doing something against myself," says 29-year-old Mohammad Anur Adam, a refugee from Darfur who spent eight months building a road that the Israeli army and police will use to patrol the fence.

"There is no work, that’s why," Adam tells IPS from his home in Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city, only a few kilometers from the Egyptian border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the fence is necessary to maintain peaceful relations with Egypt. "To continue the peace, there must be security and to this end a fence is necessary," he has said. "Its rapid construction is important for both peace and security."

Netanyahu announced early this year that once the fence along the Egyptian border is completed, Israel would build one along the Jordanian border.

Even before this announcement, Jordanian King Abdullah II said in interview with the Wall Street Journal in September last year that "Israel has to decide; does it want to be part of the neighborhood or does it want to be fortress Israel?"

Israeli historian Ilan Pappe says Israel’s "fortress" mentality is nothing new, and is a product of early Zionist thinking.

"The main Zionist and later Israeli impulse was not to be part of the Middle East but to belong to Europe," Pappe tells IPS in an e-mail interview. "Whether they have real or imaginary enemies in their own state or on the state’s borders, the Israeli Jewish society voluntarily wishes to be gated so as not blend with the ‘primitive’ Palestinian or Arab environment."

Pappe says the Israeli siege mentality forces the state to deal with its neighbors only through force, which in turn isolates it even more from the larger Middle East.

"Breaking down the real and imaginary walls can only be done when Israel, absurdly the strongest military power in the region, will be courageous enough to give (up) some of its privileges and make Israel and Palestine a more equal state and accept that (it is) part of the Middle East, its problems and solutions."

In June, the Israeli authorities completed construction of a seven-meter high wall separating the country from Lebanon. The wall equipped with cameras and motion detection sensors covers approximately 1,200 meters.

Let them do it, they don't deserve better, if they did, they should have made peace with other people, not only the Zionists. These people are religious fanatics and they live better like that, in cage or walling in themselves not wanting to have anything to do with any other human being in this world.

Let them do it, they don't deserve better, if they did, they should have made peace with other people, not only the Zionists. These people are religious fanatics and they live better like that, in cage or walling in themselves not wanting to have anything to do with any other human being in this world.

Funny how US politicians subservient to Israel, the real racist/aparthied/ terrorist state, not the American people, support Israel building a wall on their borders, but not on the US border, or any other meaningful attempt to stop the illegal immigration invasion of our country. They want new voters and more slaves to displace American workers in the few jobs left here while Eric Holder arms them.

According Holy Books Israel shoud be kingdom with King and people of 4 cornes should worship God of Israel, but reality is, that place is republic, is surrounded by enemies, for its survival depends on constant military preparednes, in the place of Gods Temple stands Islamic Shrine, most of mankind dont love but hate the place…..
Its really the biggest blashemy from time of Jesus murder …so Jews distancing themself from Israels brutal etnocracy can be proud….peter czech

According Holy Books Israel shoud be kingdom with King and people of 4 cornes should worship God of Israel, but reality is, that place is republic, is surrounded by enemies, for its survival depends on constant military preparednes, in the place of Gods Temple stands Islamic Shrine, most of mankind dont love but hate the place…..From time of Jesus murder is blashemy and those distancing themself from rasist etnocracy should be proud….peter czech

Okay Israel 'walled itself in' as you say. But they walled themselves in with nuclear weapons. They walled themselves in with almost 100% of American politicians and govt., with 100% of US mainstream media ready to carry any amount of water for it no matter what. What they've walled in with themselves is American power including most probably the full power of the Pentagon. They've walled themselves in with the full support and compliance of the American fanatically religious community (which is about 40% of the entire population). They may have walled themselves in but we're all sitting on a time-bomb and they're holding the detonator.

I have enough faith in the inate sense of justice that we are all endowed with, that this hideous apartheid state will fall on its own. When enough Israelis look in a mirror and get digusted with what they see there; when enough Israelis see that "their need for security" is just a thin veil for gross cruelty and greedy theft, Israel will be abandoned by all but the most inhumane.

Interesting that the author mentions the refugees but doesn't mention the attacks by Palestinian terrorists that killed those refugees. The author also leaves out that the Egyptian gov't policy on those refugees has been to force them out of Egypt and many were indeed killed by the Egyptian gov't .

Maybe this is true for the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Netanyahous, and Avigdor Liebermans, but the average citizens have little choice but to go along with evil authority. The more intelligent and sensitive citizens eventually do get tired of being international pariahs. The apartheid Union of South Africa could not stand when confronted with total negative publicity. When it became humiliating to be a citizen of the Union of South Africa, democracy took over. Israel is becoming as much a pariah as the old Union of South Africa. The only Americans supporting Israel are the pathetic Zionist Christians who believe that this land-theft and cruelty is part of "God's own plan". Them and the corrupt, bought-off politicians like Hillary Clinton. And the only difference between a Hitler and a Hillary is only a matter of guts.

Funny how people make statements without doing some research before making false claims.
Even funnier how many people reading this article hit the thumbs up. Perhaps you guys should educate yourself a little more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_%E2%80%93_Uni…

Funny how people make false statements without doing some research before making silly claims.
Even funnier how many people reading this article hit the thumbs up. Perhaps you guys should educate yourself a little more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_%E2%80%93_Uni…

Disruption of Mandaean family life: forced marriage and sexual assault
In her most recent report to Amnesty International, Professor J.J. Buckley — an internationally recognised specialist on the Mandaean religion — has stressed that “the attempt to destroy Mandaean families is increasing, but with a particular focus on women and young girls.” The Mandaean Human Rights Committee has also documented that the Iranian authorities attempt to break up Mandaean families with a particular focus on women and children, pressuring them to convert to Islam and pressuring women to marry Moslem men. Further reports, including those produced by ASUTA (the Journal for the Study and Research into the Mandaean Culture, Religion and Language) indicate that Mandaean parents fear that their children will be kidnapped, and forcibly circumcised, converted to Islam, raped or forcibly married. Regarding the rape of Mandaean girls and women, several reports suggest that Islamic judges would hold that a Moslem male who raped a Mandaean female would be understood to have “purified” her. Accordingly, the Sabian Mandaean Association reports that Mandaean girls have been raped with impunity by Moslem men.

Once they get their wall built around the illegal state of israel, a billion arabs should amass, develop, and live on the outside of that wall and make the claim that all those that are on the other side of that wall are their prisoners.

There will come a day when the eighty percent of Israelies who are not zionist torturing murderer's will rise up and bring the 20% to justice.
A billion arabs living in such close proximity will render their nuk's ineffective.

Of course I do and you come no where close to being one. I am sure you put on a christian face when you coem to church but if anyone in your church knew the knew that hate you spread on here they would denounce you. Maybe I should contact them with a link to your profile? I think I will. Then you will 100% exposed. What would your pastor say if he saw what you said to others on here?

How will you explain to the church the way you treat others who disagree with you, it's not just me. How will you explain to your pastor why you accuse everyone of being muslium who disagrees with you. How will you explain your lies, and self admittance of stealing, name calling, judging of others, and everything else you do that goes against the teachings of Christ? I AM going to contact your church with a link to your profile. I hope your pastor address this with you.

You're a christian. You wish eternal damnation of all the non believers who do not accept christ. That includes, jews, muslims, atheists and all sorts of other people who you know nothing about but just hate because of your religion.

You have a reputation at your backwater hick town don't you? You want to maintain that repuation don't you? WTE is going to alert you entire neighborhood and your entire town that you are a hateful bigot who goes against the teachings of christ.

You can call it whatever you want. But if you were able to sit by and watch Iraq be systematically destroyed by America and Israel for 25 years and say it is gods will then I have no problem Sitting idly by while Israel gets what it deserves. Payback for controlling our congress and plundering our treasury, and sacrificing our American blood, jeopardizing our national security, ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

The bandit state does not open itself to trade or diplomacy which makes them an easier target for war. It's their decision. Who am I to argue? they want to suicide themselves according to bible prophecy, so be it.

And it's nice to know you two work together and coordinate comments and tactics. You still don't get it, you are the paid troll, and you just outed wee as another of your co-workers. Did he want you to do that?

I am not a paid troll. You can say it a million times but it still won't be true. I think WTE should do that and embarass you in your own community. Nowadays Roger, people can monitor your every move. No your name, your kids names, where you live, where you work, your credit history, your criminal record. WTE can easily link your profile to your preacher and expose you.

What are you talking about? How can you sit there and drop bombs on Iraq for years and years and have the nerve to say that your next zionist target is behind bombings? Obviously there were a lot of Iraqis that didn't see american troops as freedom fighters.

I am going to. I wonder what lies he will tell his pastor and I will give his pastor my ID e-mail so I can contact him. I am just thinking about the best way to do it. I am also conatcing his publisher, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

You are a hate filled bigot, I understand that. And patriot here admitted you both coordinate efforts so you're an exposed paid hack now. But really, can't you at least do as much as he does, and follow the script with talking points?